This invention relates to a folding element suitable for use in a packaging apparatus in which in operation a strip of packaging material to be fed continuously is guided from a feeding direction over the folding element and, while a shell is formed from the material strip, is guided further from the folding element in a product conveying direction, with the feeding direction and the product conveying direction including an angle.
Such a packaging apparatus with a folding element is disclosed in European patent application 0 526 944, where a strip of packaging material is passed over a folding element and formed into a flat shell. The known folding element comprises a middle portion of a cylindrical shape blending at the two ends into cone-shaped folding shoulders.
A disadvantage of this folding shoulder is that after the folding element the folded sides or turnover widths of the strip incline towards each other over an acute angle. This is the result of the fact that this known folding element does not make sharp folds in the material strip. As a consequence, additional aids are needed to hold the folded sides above the folding element, so that a sufficiently large opening is created to be able to place the products to be packaged on the strip of packaging material. Because after folding the folded sides incline towards each other over an acute angle, in practice the folds are provided farther away from the product in order to create a sufficiently large opening. However, this entails the disadvantage that the required width of the strip of packaging material is wider than is strictly necessary, which renders the package more expensive. Moreover, the package of the products is wider than is necessary and, as a result, the products lying loosely in the package may shift within the package, so that they may be damaged.
The object of the invention is to provide a folding element by means of which sharper folds can be provided in the material strip, without requiring aids for holding the folded sides and by means of which folds can be provided closer to the product to be packaged.